The comments in this background section are not an admission that anything discussed in this section is citable as prior art or part of the common general knowledge of persons skilled in the art in any country.
Hockey players may wrap the blade of their stick with adhesive tape. The tape may be applied to the blade of the stick to improve friction between the puck and the stick for better control and to cushion the reaction to the puck when it strikes the blade of the stick, thereby improving the puck-handling characteristics of the stick.
To apply the tape, the player wraps tape around the blade, beginning at one end, running the tape at a light angle after the first wrap to create an overlap, e.g., of about ¼″. The player may press the tape as flat as possible against the blade to maximize puck control, ensuring that there are no bubbles or excess tape. Tape may be applied in either direction, heel to toe or toe to heel. Each player may have his/her own preference. However, applying tape from heel to toe may reduce the friction of the snow on the ice, reducing the build-up of the snow on the blade. Applying tape from heel to toe may also allow greater spin when passing and shooting.
Hockey tape may be replaced by the player, for example at regular intervals, once the tape begins to wear-out or when its adhesion is impaired. Removing hockey tape from a stick may be a considerable nuisance. An accepted practice for tape removal is a “brute force” method: the player uses his/her fingers to tear, pull and/or unwind the tape away from the blade. This may become increasingly more difficult over time, as the tape becomes compressed on to the blade as a result of impacts with the hockey puck, or where it has been cut due to contact with a skate blade or other objects, causing the tape to come off in pieces.
The use of a knife or a straight razor is another approach to tape removal, but doing so may risk scoring or otherwise damaging the blade, and thus this method is generally avoided. Also, slitting the tape with a knife or razor may not necessarily make it that much easier to remove the tape as one would still have to use the blade of the knife, or a fingernail, to lift the tape along the edge that it has been cut in order to get a sufficient grip to then pull the tape off of the blade.
Preventing damage to the blade may be important in light of the new generation of hockey sticks made of Aluminum, fiberglass, and composite materials that have become more and more common for players of all levels of ability. These sticks may be expensive, and so users are less inclined to jeopardize the integrity of the blade using a cutting tool to remove the tape.